Body weight and obesity are like the weather: Everyone talks about it, but no one seems able to do much about it. In recent years researchers have learned a great deal about the cause and ramifications of obesity. Metabolism-the way we absorb, utilize, break down and eliminate the waste from food stuffs-is only a part of the difference between individuals. In order to understand these differences, the playing field must be analyzed, not a macro-cellular level, but rather at a micro-cellular level.
At the micro-cellular level, uncoupling proteins (UCPs) have been found to exist and they dissociate the reactions that break down food from those that produce the body's chemical energy. These UCPs let hydrogen ions pass through the cellular inner mitochondrial membrane, thereby abolishing the hydrogen ion gradient needed to drive ATP synthesis. If the UCPs activity could be increased by 1-2% then there would be an increase fat oxidation and thermogenesis. This would translate into a boost in resting metabolic rates and subsequent weight loss for millions of individuals. A technique to increase the action of the body's own uncoupling proteins would be very desirable, and could add years of life for certain individuals.